In a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle shared his thoughts on the recent merger between WWE and UFC.
The pro-wrestling promotion was valued at $9.3 billion, compared to an estimated market value of $6.5 billion, and Angle had some interesting insights to share.
Angle first stated that he found the merger to be ridiculous, but went on to give reasons to back up his claim.
He revealed that during his time as a wrestler, WWE talent wasn’t allowed to have any involvement with UFC and vice versa.
This resulted in talented individuals being turned down in the past, with UFC boss Dana White being the main culprit. Angle claimed that White didn’t want anyone under a WWE contract to also be involved with UFC.
However, Angle did acknowledge that the merger could ultimately benefit both companies. It’s worth noting that Dana White has also shared his thoughts on the merger, with a statement that contradicts Kurt Angle’s claim.
White stated that he had no issue with talent from UFC crossing over to WWE if they were worthy.
Before the merger, White would have been supportive of his talent pursuing opportunities in the world of pro-wrestling. It’s important to remember that there have been several crossovers between the two industries in the past, with Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey being two notable examples.
Lesnar won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008 before transitioning to WWE, while Rousey made the move to pro-wrestling in 2018 after a successful career in UFC.
While there may be differing opinions on the merger between UFC and WWE, it’s clear that there’s potential for both companies to benefit. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future, and whether or not more crossover talent emerges.